


Of the Twenty-Second of December and a New Beginning

by Thegreenofyoureyes



Series: Christmas Fics 2015 [22]
Category: 5 Seconds of Summer (Band)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Fluff, Implied homophobia, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-23
Updated: 2015-12-23
Packaged: 2018-05-08 15:21:08
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5502659
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegreenofyoureyes/pseuds/Thegreenofyoureyes
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Luke and Ashton are new in town, and Niall is an over enthusiastic, albeit kind neighbor. It's three days before Christmas, and everything feels like it'll be okay.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of the Twenty-Second of December and a New Beginning

**Author's Note:**

> Day 22! Thank you for reading this far if you have! Only three days left now and I'm not quite sure how to feel about that! @Tanniri on Tublr is perfect and amazing as always

Luke and Ashton had only just finished unpacking their bedroom when they heard a knock on their door. The entirety of their house was scattered with boxes containing their life. Some of it was dishes, others were important childhood collectibles, but it was all memories. That's why Ashton was so careful as he walked to the door. He didn't want to break anything. 

Standing in front of him, in the cold Colorado night, was a normal sized man with bright blue eyes and tall, dyed hair. He looked like the picture of friendliness, and Ashton had never been so relieved. They had moved into a nice neighborhood, but remnants of their old life would always follow. 

“Hey! I'd heard that someone new moved in here! I'm Niall,” the man said, extending his hand, “weren't there two of you?”

“Yeah, yeah. My husband's upstairs, actually. I'm Ashton, and he's Luke. It's nice to meet you.”

“You too! Listen, I've got a Christmas party going on in like an hour. I know three days before is a bit late, but that doesn't matter. You and your husband are coming. I’d hate to have you two feeling like outsiders, so I'll come and drag ya over if necessary. I'm the house right across from ya with the bright green door. Couldn't miss it if you tried,” Niall said. It was only then that Ashton noticed just how intense he was. 

Not that he would want to anyway, Ashton felt that he absolutely could not say no. He liked meeting new people. For the most part, though not always, he thrived off interaction. Luke was a little more reserved, a bit shy even, but he liked parties. It would be fine. 

“You won't have to force us, man. We’re happy to come. It's incredibly nice of you to invite us, though!”

“Nah, it's basic human courtesy. See you in an hour! And I look forward to meeting Luke.”

Ashton couldn't help but think that he should. Meeting Luke had been the best thing that ever happened to him, and he couldn't quite imagine that wasn't true for everyone else as well. Especially when Luke was standing at the top of their stairs (they had stairs!) with a sweet smile on his face. 

“Who was that, then?” Luke asked, moving aside so Ashton could walk into their room. 

“Oh, a neighbor. He wants us to go to his party tonight so we can meet some new people.”

“And you said yes?”

“He said he'd drag us over forcefully regardless, so yeah. He seemed nice though. Looked a bit like you. Less cute.” And Ashton was only a bit bias. Just a bit. It made Luke blush regardless. 

“That's alright. It could be fun?” Ashton could tell that was more of a question than a statement. They'd been married for a bit, together for a lot longer, and he knew what Luke sounded like when he was nervous. 

“Babe, I can just go on my own if you want. Say you were too tired, but look forward to meeting them all. I wouldn't mind.”

“No, no. I want to go. It'll be fun. It's just… You think they'll like us? What if there's an issue with, you know, /us/?” Luke was fiddling with his sweater now, and it would've been more adorable if it hadn't been quite that sad. 

“I told Niall you were my husband. Didn't even phase him, and it's at his house. I'm sure it's fine,” Ashton said, grabbing his husband and holding him close for a second. 

“Right. I just… This is a nice neighborhood, you know? And I've read stories about soccer moms and stuff. It's stupid.”

“It's not stupid. We’ve faced some bullshit, Luke. This isn't like that, though. Niall seemed nice, if slightly intimidating. We’re not in the South anymore.”

“You're right. Of course. Thank you.”

“That's my job,” Ashton replied “now why don't we lay down until we have to go, yeah? I'm tired, at least.” 

Luke gladly agreed. They didn't even bother taking off their clothes before laying in bed, wrapping around each other. If anyone had been there to take a Polaroid, Ashton figured, it would've looked quite artsy. Their black clothes on a white bedspread. 

*****  
Just as they were walking outside to head over to Niall’s, Ashton saw a familiar figure heading towards them. Perhaps he should've expected it. Niall seemed one to keep his promises, however mundane, intensely. 

“Hey, fellas! I was just comin over to get ya! Glad to see you're coming of your own free will! Course I wouldn't actually make you. Just make sure you were tired enough you wouldn't regret not coming,” he said, walking back with them. 

“We wouldn't miss it,” Luke said. He was huddled in on himself, and Ashton found it a little bit hard to want to share him with anyone in any way right at that moment. 

 

“You must be Luke! Ashton didn't tell me a lot about you, given we only talked for about 12 seconds, but I'm sure you're great! You two are a cute couple.” 

Ashton could actually, physically see the stress shed off of Luke. It looked a lot like the curls of steam that left their mouths every time they exhaled. The nervousness was something, of course, that Ashton shared, but to a lesser degree. 

“Thank you. That's really sweet,” Ashton said just as they reached the door. Niall walked in quickly, leaving Luke and Ashton alone in the foyer. 

“What if nobody likes us? I don't want to be alone here. I'm not sure I could do that again,” Luke said so softly that Ashton only hear because he was listening for it. 

“It'll be fine. We’ll make friends. I'm a talkative person and you're you. People will like us, Lukey. We won't be alone,” Ashton replied, pulling Luke closer for a brief hug before taking his own coat off. 

“Okay,” Luke said. And it was more momentous than it sounded. 

Ashton was in his element when he was around people. He was loud, and fast, and it was just the way his mind /worked/. He would flit from person to person and conversation to conversation, never leaving anything feeling wrong. It was largely superficial, sure, but that's how all friendships start. 

Luke followed him around the part, waiting for Ashton to decide. It always took a bit for him to pick which strangers they were spending the night talking to. As this was their new home, Luke hoped Ashton would pick especially well. Of course he would. 

In the end they sat with another gay couple. The pale one introduced himself as Michael and his husband as Calum. They had similar taste in music and politics. Luke had always been taught that you shouldn't bring that up when making new friends. Ashton always did, though. It was his way of never having to end a friendship when he was invested in it. It kept him, them, safe. 

A glass and a half in to whatever it was Niall was bringing around, and everything felt wonderful. Ashton thought they should probably leave soon, because they had a shit ton to do the next few days and honestly not enough time for a person of normal willpower to do it. Ashton didn't have a normal willpower, though. And when he was around his husband, neither did Luke. 

It was a successful night. Michael and Calum had agreed to spend New Years Eve at the local festival with them, to spend time together and show them around, and everything felt better. Ashton didn't admit it, even to himself really, but he was nervous too. Being hated is never easy, and it's not something to get over. It would take more than moving boxes and a clean floor for this to feel like a fresh start. Now it did. 

****  
It was only 11 when they were tangled up in bed again, this time under the covers and ready to sleep. It was early to leave a party, sure, but it felt nice to be alone again. Sure, Ashton loved parties, but he loved Luke even more. And he loved sleeping, too. 

“So, feeling better, Lukey?” Ashton asked, though he already knew they answer. He could feel it in just how relaxed Luke was, how loose his shoulders were. 

“Yeah. It's gonna be okay here, isn't it?” Luke said. It was kind of a question, but mostly a statement. 

“Yeah, I think it will be,” Ashton replied, kissing Luke’s chest softly.


End file.
